Jan 21, 2017

The Art of Understanding Time

Notes About Our Relation
to Eternity and Karma

Carlos Cardoso Aveline

What we know as present moment is never separated from time eternal. There is nothing isolated in
the Universe. The shadows of past and future events surround us, and they
influence us in many ways. They are effective keys to happiness, if we learn
intelligent ways to look at them.

Accurate or not, images of that which was and of that
which may take place inhabit our soul and consciousness. They contain unlimited
lessons and potentialities, for life is cyclic, and that which was will be
again, in a renewed way.

For anyone who desires to learn, the shadows of past and
future events must be intertwined with the light of reason, so that they do not
get too opaque. Any dense shadows of different moments in time threaten the
creative flame of the present. The most important aspect of our Karma is that
flame: its shine means that weare alwayssowingkarmaright now.

Learning to understand time is an art
in itself; and it is both contemplative and practical. The process never ends of expanding one’s knowledge about past, present
and future - and about the seeds of freedom offered by these three aspects of Duration.

When a wider view of Life emerges, the preparatory progress
towards victory gathers strength and momentum. As soon as we understand our previous
defeats and become responsible for our dreams and images about the future, preparations
for a much larger victory accelerate.

Real progress begins with detachment as to all unessential
factors. At any epoch, there must be easy and
nice days in life, and difficult ones, too. It is wise to be humble about the
pleasing things offered by karma, and brave, and patient, as to the painful
ones.

While the suffering passes, its
teaching remains.A feeling of gratitude
for the opportunities to learn entitles the pilgrim to see life as a whole. Thankfulness
enables him to perceive that our planet is but one and vast classroom
for all beings on it. Thus the pilgrim learns to live in a more harmonious
accordance with the One Law of dynamic equilibrium and justice. However, the dynamics of life is
probationary.

As we start to walk towards a noble
goal and seek for an altruistic wisdom, we soon know that making progress means
facing various sorts of danger. We also have
several kinds of protection, and three of such “shields”
deserve being examined here as examples of our positive potentialities. Their
order can change according to temperament and circumstances.

1) Purity of Intention

A
major protection is our clarity of intention. In
theosophy, purity implies a noble and elevated substance, which is free from
its opposites.

Yet the pilgrim must know his purity of motives is never
absolute, because intention has as many levels of consciousness as himself.

The
lower levels of intention are personal and exist under the influence of
ignorance, both individual and collective. The degree of purity starts
relatively poor and small. It gradually expands as ignorance is destroyed by
the combined fires of goodwill and discernment.

2) The Practice of Selflessness

The second shield for the pilgrim is his daily practice of
altruistic actions.

That works as a mirror for his soul. Observing the
development of our best efforts in “common” life, we can more accurately assess
our own intentions. Real motives show themselves in daily life and through
small incidents. Seeing what makes us happy or unhappy is usually revealing as
to the main inner focus of our mortal soul.

3) Seeking for Wisdom

A
third protection along the path is the aspiration for that transcendent,
impersonal knowledge about life which belongs to all.

Trying
to obtain spiritual or philosophical knowledge for oneself is tantamount to
desire to be the owner of a wisdom which - precisely because it is universal -
can belong to no one.

The Pilgrim’s Road is Time

To say that the pilgrim walks along
the road is to accept that human life ceaselessly renews itself in every
aspect.

The road we cross is Time, and ultimately the Pilgrim is our own higher self, or spiritual soul.

Since all life undergoes a constant, silent
transmutation, no pilgrim should expect too much of a stable routine in his personal existence. He must be always alert,
and vigilance is but one of the lessons to learn as
he walks along the path.

The landscape in human consciousness changes, and every
factor in it also changes. All existence is transitional. Old structures fall apart
or are left aside, in society as in the human psyche. In order to replace them,
one must build better realities, starting from abstract planes, and taking into
consideration that everything is cyclic. One must first sow and then protect
that which was planted, persevering for quite some time before the harvest
comes.

The
main task is to learn, to observe, and to understand. Blind
actions are worse than useless, but they cease to be blind when we open our
eyes and accept learning from our mistakes. One must say No to nice illusions and attractive forms
of leaving Ethics apart. The beautiful traps
are the most cruel.

Truth
remains, while falsehoods tend to disappear into thin air.

As
the wheel of law and life moves to another cycle, its center remains
undisturbed. The duty of every pilgrim includes concentrating
his mind, heart and actions on that center, and not so much on the spectacular but
passing images which animate the world of effects, and of appearance.

000

In September 2016, after a careful analysis of the state of the
esoteric movement worldwide, a group of students decided to form the Independent Lodge of Theosophists,
whose priorities include the building of a better future in the different
dimensions of life.